Crossing the Styx
by lilygarnet
Summary: After Nico returned Reyna to Camp Half-Blood with the Athena Parthenos, he did disappear. To the Underworld. In order to stay there, he has to run odd errands and jobs for Hades. One of these errands was to bring back souls who've died, but haven't crossed the River Styx. This is the story of one of his encounters.
1. Nico's Disappearance

**This isn't rewritten, I just smushed Chapter One and Two together :I**

**I don't own the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.**

**Thank you all you raters, reviewers, and favoriters!**

**AN: I have never been to Brooklyn, New York before, so I do not know if the places are real or not.**

* * *

It was a dreary Monday. Nico had just returned a woman from the 1700s back to the Underworld, and was looking for a bit of peace. Lost souls were harder to return to Hades then you might think. Living with mortals had made them more spiteful and clever.

He was in a park, sitting on a bench. Still isolated from everyone and everything. Children were screaming in the background. A happy couple was laughing as they held hands. Nico turned away in disgust. He'd sacrificed so much to make sure the Seven could've succeeded, and what did he get? Nothing. No appraisal from anyone, except Hazel.

Nico's hatred would've turned into vengeance if he didn't get a phone call from Hades. Yes, the Underworld had a great cell phone sighed and answered the call.

"There is a lost soul in New York. Alecto will send over the background information." The line dropped dead. As usual, Hade's calls were quick and impatient. Nico shadow traveled to Wall Street in New York City. A few minutes after he arrived, Alecto came. This time she was a middle aged business man.

"Here is your information. The soul's name is Lotus Chaisty Madrigal. She died in 1930, during the Great Depression, and lived in Brooklyn." Alecto told Nico Lotus's physical appearance,what her house looked like, where she usually came out during the day, and so on. Nico tuned out until Alecto laughed. Even though the Kindly Ones could disguise themselves, their laugh would chill your heart in any form they took.

"Lotus isn't like all the other souls you have met. She's more, persuasive and manipulative." On that last word, Alecto disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Nico took off for Brooklyn.

* * *

Finding a ghost is harder than you think it is. Sure, in the Underworld, they're translucent and vaguely human, but in the mortal world, they could apply a glamour. Nico cursed in Ancient Greek as he found the wrong person. Again.

'I don't understand,' he thought, 'it said that she was thirteen when she died!' Yet, all the thirteen year olds he'd met so far looked at him like he was crazy. He was mainly counting on his sword to lead him to Lotus. Stygian iron didn't only suck up darkness, it also detected souls where they were not supposed to be. Like, Brooklyn for example.

Nico had decided to give up for the day, when his sword started pulling him towards an apartment building. Sitting down in front of the building were two teenage girls. One of the girls had strawberry blonde hair, with two streaks dyed navy blue. The other girl had hair so dark red, it was almost purple. They talked for a while until the redhead left. The other girl got up and slipped into an alley way.

Nico waited until the girl disappeared before following her into the alley way. It wasn't until he was in pure darkness that he felt a knife to his neck.

"Who the hell are you?" He caught a glimpse of navy blue hair before everything went black.

* * *

**Hehehe… cliffie! Again! So, does anyone want me to put Lotus's bio as the next chapter?**

**Happy Post-Halloween Day! :I**

**~Lily**


	2. I Meet an Mentally Insane Emo Kid

**Chapter Two! :I**

**So, here's Nico with the disclaimer!**

***pause***

**Me: Do the disclaimer!**

**Nico: N.O.**

**Me: I'll kill you off in the next chapter.**

**Nico: Lilygarnet doesn't own the Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus series. Nor does she own any copyrighted or trademarked items.**

**Thank you AmaryllisBloom, Reading-is-4-life, and Celestial Wolves for all your support!**

* * *

God, I have had the worst day by far, and that emo kid stalking me didn't help. You see, most people have horrible, average, or great days. I only have horrible or great days, and the days where I'm happy are fading away. I guess you could say I had bipolar disorder. Ever since my deadbeat dad had left my mom and I, I'd slipped into depression. Not so far to physically harm myself, but enough that I hated that I did nothing all day while my mother slaved away at her three jobs.

My mother, Elodie Stephon, is amazing. She carries the weight of three jobs, a growing child, and life's necessities on her hands. It reminds me of that Greek myth about Atlas; how he lifted up the heavens and couldn't let go of the burden.

My bad day started at school. Today we just had to write a poem about family. Needless to say, I couldn't write about the topic. I told the teacher it was "emotionally challenging", and she still made me write about it. Stephanie just had to pass by at that moment, and just had to spend the rest of the day laughing her ass off about my family problems.

After school, Cerise and I laughed it off by commenting on Stephanie's alikeness to a Barbie doll. Then, I noticed the emo kid. He was wearing an aviator jacket, ripped black jeans and a skull t-shirt. The darkness radiated off of him.

After Cerise left, the emo kid had been in the same position for thirty minutes. No one in Rosevale says in the same position for more time than they need to. I walked in the alley way beside my apartment building, and waited to see if that kid took the bait. He did.

Anyone who lives in Brooklyn knows to carry some type of weapon.

Needless to say, he was knocked out for about fifteen minutes.

* * *

I moved the boy into the darkness until he was cloaked with shadows, so people wouldn't notice. I sat down and waited. When he woke up, I was silent. He looked confused.

"Hey, my name's Lotus, and let's get some answers here. If you're stalking me, I might as well know your name." His eyes adjusted to the dark, and chocolate brown irises met my emerald ones.

"You wouldn't be in the mortal world long enough to remember." He pulled out something from his belt. Was that a sword?

"Excuse me? Did you call me a mortal?" His eyebrows raised up in amusement.

"I suppose you wouldn't know what that is, since you stopped being one in the 1930s." What the heck was this kid's problem?

"Yes, well, if you plan to keep on breathing for more than five more minutes, I suggest you tell me who you are." He laughed.

"It would be more pleasant if, let's say, you weren't dead, but very well. My name is Nico di Angelo. That name is also the name of the person who's going to return you to the Fields of Punishment." Nico looked like he wasn't kidding, but seriously?! Who says that crap?

"Well, as great as your offer sounds, no thanks." I started to get up, when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. Nico's eyes were glassy; he was concentrating on a brick in the alley wall. The shadows seemed to swallow us up. I closed my eyes and waited for the horrible sensation to end.

When I opened my eyes up, mist surrounded me.

* * *

**I'm pure evil. Two cliffies so far… :D**

**I'll probably post Lotus's bio on my profile page…**

**I'm sorry if I can't update fast enough. I have schoolwork, and extracurricular activities D:**


End file.
